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January 2003 KCABJ Newsletter



President's Message

Anita Parran
Anita K. Parran


Seasons Greetings!

On behalf of the KCABJ Executive Board of Directors, I wish you a blessed holiday season and a Happy New Year!

I would like to thank an excellent board of directors for their work during 2002. Tanyanika Samuels, Crystal Lumpkins, Joi Preciphs and Lewis Diuguid. Of course excellent counsel came from past KCABJ presidents Glenn Rice and Benita Williams. We would all like to thank you for your support and attention this past year.

While much has been accomplished, there is still much more to do in 2003! Here is a recap of our accomplishments:

  • The KCABJ Constitution was revised for the first time since the mid-1980s to reflect the current business practices of the organization.

  • A quarterly KCABJ membership roster was distributed to all members.

  • The KCABJ Urban Student Journalism Workshop at Rockhurst University was an overwhelming success again this year -- thanks to many of our members and colleagues in the media community. For the first time in the 20 years KCABJ has sponsored the workshop, three of the student graduates paid their dues and became members of KCABJ.

  • The KCABJ 11th Annual Media Awards program, with a theme of ``Afternoon Delight,'' showcased the student scholarship award recipients and media awards earned by outstanding journalists for 2001-2002.

  • We have taken steps to implement professional development programs during 2003, thanks to the member surveys that were conducted and selection of volunteer project coordinator Yvette Walker.

  • Discussions of future collaborations with other communications organizations, e.g. The Kansas City Press Club and the Association of Women in Communications, have taken place, which may result in partnerships for professional development events and other activities during 2003.

  • KCABJ voiced objections to the myriad changes affecting African-Americans at KCTV-Channel 5, which earned the annual KCABJ Thumbs Down Award for 2002.

  • The KCABJ Executive Board and many members not only participated in the 2002 National Association of Black Journalists convention in Milwaukee, but KCABJ's after party suite became the place for NABJ members nationwide to continue their fun and fellowship.

    In short, 2002 was good; our expectation for 2003 will be even greater. Don't forget to renew your membership for the new year! Information on how to do that is enclosed in this newsletter.

    --Anita K. Parran


    KCABJ Elects New Officers

    KCABJ members elected Anita K. Parran at the December meeting to serve a second term as president of the organization. Anita is a public relations professional with AARP and owns KK Charles Communications, a public relations firm.

    Also elected to the executive board were Tanyanika Samuels, who will serve a second term as KCABJ vice president/print. Tanyanika is a reporter at The Kansas City Star.

    Joi L. Preciphs stepped up to serve on an interim basis as KCABJ vice president/broadcast. Joi had been KCABJ secretary in 2002. She works for the Mid-America Regional Council, and she is a free-lance writer.

    New to the executive board is Kia Shante' Breaux. Kia was elected KCABJ secretary. Kia is an editor at The Associated Press in Kansas City.

    Lewis Diuguid was re-elected KCABJ treasurer. He has served in that post for nearly a decade. Lewis is vice president/community resources at The Kansas City Star.

    A committee was formed at the December meeting to plan a KCABJ 1980s Party/Fund-Raiser for 2003. KCABJ member Jenee' Osterheldt presented the idea and was appointed to chair the committee.

    KCABJ Vice President/Broadcast Joi Preciphs said she thought it was a great idea. ''I have the CDs for it,'' Joi said.

    KCABJ members Glenn Rice, Tanyanika Samuels, Malecia El-Amin and Joi volunteered to serve on the '80s party committee.

    National Association of Black Journalists Treasurer Glenn E. Rice also shared some ideas for 2003 with members. Glenn proposed that KCABJ invite Kansas City Mayor Kay Barnes and Urban League of Greater Kansas City President Gwen Grant to an open news forum to discuss their newly formed task force on race relations.

    Glenn also suggested that KCABJ have a news related dialogue with Kansas City Police Chief Rick Easley and/or Deputy Chief Kevin Masters about changes within the department to improve race relations. A report in December showed the Police Department continues to have problems with the issue of race.

    A third idea Glenn shared was for KCABJ to sponsor a candidates' forum in the Third and Fifth Districts, which are mostly black. 2003 is an election year in Kansas City. Other groups may be interested in partnering with KCABJ on the news forums.


    Terror War Takes Toll on Journalists

    Governments with greater frequency are closing public meetings, and reporters covering sports and entertainment events are being subjected to unreasonable background checks, said Kathleen Carroll, executive editor of The Associated Press.

    Carroll spoke in December at the opening banquet of the 2002 AP Annual Meeting of Missouri-Kansas Publishers and Editors. Carroll told about 200 people at the Fairmont Hotel that state and local governments under pressure to find ways to cut budgets in the bad economy are trying to illegally close meetings to exclude press coverage.

    Carroll said The Associated Press and many news organizations continue to challenge efforts of governments and government agencies to lock out the media. The Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks also have affected government openness.

    Many officials continue to try to close meetings, citing homeland security, Carroll said. In addition, efforts keep surfacing to close open records.

    The military also feels a need to keep its operations secret. But the public has a right to know what's going on and how tax dollars are being spent, Carroll said.

    ''This is the most secretive administration I have ever encountered,'' Carroll said. There needs to be a middle ground, she said.

    The fear of future terrorist attacks has caused organizers of entertainment and sporting events to insist that journalists submit extensive amounts of personal information before they are approved for admission. That includes financial, legal, criminal, medical records for background checks, Carroll said.

    ''There is absolutely no reason on the planet they need to know the medical background of a reporter covering a golf tournament,'' Carroll said. She added that press challenges about the requirement, have resulted in media companies securing more reasonable background checks.


    More Journalism News

  • Black Entertainment Television is canceling most of its popular public affairs programs, including ''BET Tonight with Ed Gordon,'' ''Lead Story'' and ''Teen Summit.'' The National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA) reported that the programs will be off the air in 2003. George E. Curry, editor-in-chief of the NNPA News Service, wrote in a column that ran in December in The Call in Kansas City that BET will simply become "ET" in the new year.

    BET Chairman Bob Johnson started the Black Entertainment Television cable network in 1979. He sold it to Viacom on Jan. 23, 2001, for $2.5 billion in stock and $500 million in assumed debt. Viacom owns CBS, MTV, VH-1 and UPN.

  • An article in The Kansas City Star reported that the rapid growth of the Hispanic population in the United States has yet to be reflected in the news stories of the broadcast networks.

    Of about 16,000 stories on the evening newscasts of ABC, CBS, NBC and CNN last year only 99, or 0.62 percent, were about Hispanics. The National Association of Hispanic Journalists in December released the ''Network Brownout Report.'' It found that although the number of news stories did not keep pace with the Hispanic population, which is 13 percent of the U.S. population, the count for 2001 was slightly above 2000. That year only 84 stories, or 0.53 percent, were about Hispanics.


    Career Advancement Opportunities

  • The Kansas City Star Newsroom Diversity Committee may bring Keith Woods to town to discuss issues of diversity and race relations in news coverage. Woods is a well-known instructor on those subjects with the Poynter Institute in St. Petersburg, Fla. Natalie Moultrie, a news anchor with KMBC-TV, Channel 9, and a former KCABJ vice president/broadcast, about two years ago explored the possibility of Woods coming to speak with KCABJ members and other interested journalists. Woods would speak to an audience of area journalists in connection with Time Out for Diversity Week.

    Newspapers nationwide, including The Star, participate in the American Society of Newspaper Editors' annual spring program to draw attention to the need to increase the diversity in the professional newsroom staff and coverage. The Kansas City Star consistently has been a leader among the top newspapers in the country in participating in Time Out for Diversity programs.

  • Applications are being accepted for the 2003-2004 John S. Knight Fellowships at Stanford University. It comes with a $55,000 stipend plus tuition, health insurance, book allowance, housing and child care. For more information call (650) 723-4937 or check out http://knight.stanford.edu.

  • The Black Alumni Network Newsletter reported in December that the eighth annual Minority Writers Seminar will take place May 1-4 in Nashville. It encourages experienced journalists of color to seek careers in opinion writing. It is sponsored by the National Conference of Editorial Writers Foundation in partnership with the Freedom Forum Diversity Institute at Vanderbilt University. For more information call (717) 703-3015.

  • Also from The Black Alumni Network Newsletter, the ACEJMC-accredited Department of Journalism, Public Relations and Advertising at Temple University is seeking applicants for two, one-year renewable professional faculty positions at the assistant professor rank beginning August 2003. For more information call Lewis Diuguid at (816) 234-4723.

  • The Knight-Wallace Fellowship is seeking applications. It had been called the Michigan Journalism Fellowship at Ann Arbor, Mich. The stipend is $55,000. For more information call (734) 998-7666 or check out the Web site: www.kwfellows.org.

  • Investigative Reporters and Editors asks, ''Do you fit the stereotype of a journalist who can't do math?'' To test your skills, check out www.ire.org/education/math_test.html. The test includes a link with the correct answers. Good luck.


    NABJ News

    The Carole Kneeland Project for Responsible Television Journalism announces a professional growth opportunity for experienced news directors. Seminars will include sessions on coaching as a leadership tool, ethical decision-making, managing and creating an enterprising newsroom. For more information call Kim Barnes at (512) 502-1212.

    The creators of Chicken Soup for the Soul book series is seeking heart-warming and inspiring short stories related to the African-American experience for an upcoming book: Chicken Soup for the African-American Soul.'' The book will celebrate the black culture, people, resilience and strength while honoring black humor and tears through the stories that are shared. For more information call Lisa Nichols at (858) 376-3700 or e-mail her at AfAmSoul@aol.com. Stories will be collected until spring 2003.

    The San Diego Association of Black Journalists in January 2003 during the Super Bowl Weekend is sponsoring a celebration of cultural diversity and economic development in southeastern San Diego. The event is free, and all proceeds from a silent auction will benefit the association's scholarship fund.


    KC People

  • Malecia El-Amin will be leaving The Star's copy desk at the end of January to join the staff at The Dallas Morning News. A farewell party for Malecia is set for 7 p.m., Jan. 17 at G's Jamaican Cuisine, 7940 Troost Avenue.

  • KCABJ's membership renewal steps into the new year with 10 persons paying their dues before December ended. They are KCABJ President Anita K. Parran, Vice President/Broadcast Joi L. Preciphs, Vice President/Print Tanyanika Samuels, Secretary Kia Shante' Breaux, Treasurer Lewis Diuguid, and members Bryan Busby, Norma J. Martin, Benita Williams, Jeanene Dunn and Jenee' Osterheldt. Click here to for a KCABJ membership application. Print the application, complete it and mail it to KCABJ, P.O. Box 32744, Kansas City, Mo. 64111.

  • Several KCABJ members attended the 2002 Christmas Party at McCormick & Schmick's Seafood Restaurant on the Country Club Plaza. It was an opportunity for people to talk, relax and have fun with food and beverages. KCABJ member Glenn Rice came up with the novel idea of having the holiday gathering after work.

  • Look for the work of Audra Harris and KCABJ member Jenee' Osterheldt in ``Kid City Star,'' a Sunday product of The Kansas City Star. Audra is editing the package, and Jenee' is providing writing assistance.

  • Try to catch the January 2003 issue of The Source magazine. It quotes KCABJ member Jenee' Osterheldt's Nov. 2 article in The Kansas City Star on hip-hop. ''The masses seem to confuse hip-hop with thug life,'' she wrote.

  • Toni F. Laws, senior vice president for diversity with the Newspaper Association of America, is taking a buyout offer and retiring in February. In October 1993, Laws helped train Mary Lou Nolan, Steve Rosen and Lewis Diuguid at The Kansas City Star to become certified diversity trainers. They then provided diversity workshops for all of the newsroom employees at The Star. The Newsroom's Diversity Committee will celebrate its 10th anniversary in 2003.

  • KCABJ Secretary Kia Shante' Breaux on Dec. 10 became engaged to be married. Her fiance is John Randle, a Kansas City police officer. The wedding is tentatively set for Sept. 13.










    2003 Kansas City Association of Black Journalists
    P.O. Box 32744, Kansas City, Mo. 64111

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